Best Gyms To Train Jiu Jitsu In New York City
New York City, the city that never sleeps has something very special. Aside from a variety of culture and food, this city has another very special thing. Jiu Jitsu.
Jiu Jitsu in New York City is one of the strongest Jiu Jitsu scenes on the planet. Some of the best academies in the world are located, where numerous world champions train. The best part is a lot of the schools are a short walk from one another.
Check out this list of the best gyms to train Jiu Jitsu in New York City.
Marcelo Garcia Jiu Jitsu Academy
One of the all time greats in BJJ has his Jiu Jitsu school in the heart of New York City. Marcelo Garcia is considered by many one of the best BJJ athletes of all time.
In the late 2010s, Garcia made New York the home base for his Jiu Jitsu school. You will not find better quality Jiu Jitsu in New York or in the world for that matter.
Aside from being a world class BJJ athlete, Marcelo is quite an accomplished coach. He has coached many of the best BJJ athletes in the world including Edwin Naijmi and Bernardo Faria.
Marcelo may also be the nicest guy in BJJ and his classes are always full. His passion for BJJ has created one of the most popular and successful academies in NYC.
See below for all the info about Marcelo Garcia Jiu Jitsu Academy
Classes Offered At Marcelo Garcia Jiu Jitsu Academy
*BJJ classes only
- Intro to BJJ
- Kids and Youth Programs
- Fundamental Classes
- Gi and No Gi
Instructors At Marcelo Garcia Jiu Jitsu Academy
- Marcelo Garcia (Head Instructor/Owner)
- Various Marcelo Garcia Instructors(names not listed on website)
Special Offers: 2 Free Trial Classes Are Offered For Potential New Members
Address: 250 W 26TH ST. – 3RD FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10001
Phone: 212.414.0044
Renzo Gracie Academy
Anybody that trains BJJ knows Renzo Gracie and knows about his world famous gym. This academy has produced many of the top BJJ and MMA athletes in the world. Renzo Gracie Academy is synonymous with Jiu Jitsu in New York City.
Students including Georges St Pierre, Matt Serra, and Ricardo Almeida.
This school is known for quality and has some of the best instructors in the world teaching here. Of course we can’t talk about Renzo Gracie Academy and not mention John Danaher.
The Danaher Death Squad make their home here and the classes John runs are filled with BJJ’s top athletes. Names like Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, Nicky Ryan, and Nick Rodriguez are on the mat everyday here.
Read below on the info about this world class.
Classes Offered At Renzo Gracie Academy
- BJJ
- Muay Thai
- Kids Jiu Jitsu
- Submission Grappling(No Gi)
Instructors At Renzo Gracie Academy
BJJ Instructors:
- Renzo Gracie(Head instructor and owner)
- John Danaher
- Rolles Gracie
- Igor Gracie
- Gregor Gracie
- Neiman Gracie
- Rafael Costa
- Robson Gracie
- Harley Flannagan
- Bridget Gracie
Muay Thai Instructors:
- Joe Sampieri
- Jamie Crowder
- Mike Mckee
- Elijah Clarke
- P.J. McMahon
- Joshua Brandenburg
- Lucas Noonan
Special Offers: 1 free trial class for BJJ or Muay Thai
Address: 224 West 30th Street New York, NY 10001
Phone Number: 212.279.6724
Unity Jiu Jitsu
If you need more reason to train Jiu Jitsu in New York City look no further than Unity Jiu Jitsu. Murilo Santana runs one of the best gyms in the city and is known for its hard training style.
Murilo is known for being a great BJJ competitor, but he is also a fantastic instructor as well.
They are always training for competitions in this academy, so you will definitely get a lot of drilling and rolling in.
This academy is also home to some of the best BJJ competitors in the world.
On any day, you could be training next to the Miyao brothers, Luiza Monteira, Eddie Cummings, and Devhonte Johnson. The instructors are also some of the best competitors in the world that include world BJJ champions.
Read below for more information on the school.
Classes Offered At Unity Jiu Jitsu
*BJJ classes only are offered at this school.
- Kids Classes
- Foundation Program(fundamentals)
- Open Drilling
- Jiu Jitsu Class
- Submission Grappling(No Gi)
- Pro Training
Instructors At Unity Jiu Jitsu
- Murilo Santana(Head Instructor/Owner)
- Ana Lowry
- Paulo & Joao Miyao
- Leandro Lo
- Devhonte “Bones” Johnson
- Edwin “Junny” Ocasio
- Gene Kobilansky
Special Offers: 1 Free Trial Class
Address: 144 W 14th ST, Stair Door A, New York, NY 10011
(Behind 6th and 7th Avenues-Basement of Pratt)
Phone Number: 917.409.5550
Team Fabio Clemente
If you want to visit a historical gym in New York, then you should check out Team Fabio Clemente. This was the first Jiu Jitsu school in New York City that opened in 1995.
Professor was the first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor in the city and started the BJJ boom in NYC. Today his gym is still going as strong as ever.
Fabio’s school is a welcoming atmosphere that is open to people of all skill levels. Programs that include beginner classes to competition classes.
See below for more information on Team Fabio Clemente.
Classes Offered At Team Fabio Clemente
*BJJ classes only at this academy.
- Beginner Program
- Intermediate Program
- Advanced Program
- Competition Program
Instructors At Team Fabio Clemente
- Fabio Clemente(Head Instructor/Owner)
- Pedro Fernandes
- Mike Kalika
- Louis Levy
- Eduardo Capeluto
- Zata Toscano
- Vedha Toscano
- Michael Rivas
- Matt Ramirez
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Address: 123 E 12th Street New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212.529.7675
Serra BJJ Academy
MMA legend and former UFC champion Matt Serra has two academies located in Long Island just east of NYC. After getting his black belt from Renzo Gracie and teaching at his academy, Matt wanted to open his own academy.
He went back home to Long Island and realized his dream of opening his own school. Today his schools are the premiere gym in Long Island.
Serra has many black belt students and has trained multiple world champions in MMA and BJJ. He is famous for his heavy NY accent and loud voice you can clearly hear when he’s coaching on TV.
Since Renzo is his coach this makes Serra’s school an affiliate of Renzo’s. This means you may have access to both if you train at one of these schools. If you’re in Long Island go check out these world class schools.
See below for more info on these schools
Instructors at Serra BJJ Academy
- Matt Serra(Head Instructor/Owner)
- Jason Rau
- Dan Astarita
- Mike Piccolomini
- Vinny Melillo(Muay Thai coach)
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Multiple locations
Address Location 1: Serra BJJ Levittown: 2949 Hempstead Turnpike , Levittown NY 11756
Phone: 516.520.2052
Address Location 2: Serra BJJ Huntington: 365 West Jericho Turnpike, Huntington, NY 11743
Phone: 631.385.2312
Igor Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy
Over in Westchester, NY lies another one of the best Jiu Jitsu Academies in New York. Igor Gracie aside from teaching at Renzo’s school runs his own that is a world class academy.
After retiring from BJJ and MMA competition, Igor began teaching at Renzo’s school. Eventually he opened his own school and now teaches at both academies. He is also a part time model when he isn’t coaching oddly enough.
Igor has helped train numerous high level BJJ, MMA competitors, and celebrity BJJ practitioners. He teaches the classic Gracie Jiu Jitsu system that was passed down to him by his family.
This is another Renzo Gracie Academy affiliate, so you may have access to the main school. Inquire with Igor Gracie Academy to find out for sure.
Read below for more info on this BJJ academy.
Classes At Igor Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy
*This school offers BJJ classes only
- Kids Classes
- Beginner Class
- Intermediate Classes
- Advanced Classes
- Submission Grappling(No Gi)
Instructors At Igor Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy
- Igor Gracie(Head Instructor/Owner)
- *No other instructors listed on their website
Address: 175 Main St, New Rochelle, NY 10801, United States
Phone: 914-235-2605
Vitor Shaolin ‘s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Another world champion that has opened in school in New York. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro is among the most respected figures in BJJ. He is known as being a former top BJJ competitor and now runs a very successful Jiu Jitsu school in New York City.
Shaolin offers some of the top BJJ and MMA classes in the city. Another great thing about Shaolin’s school is he has 5 in various boroughs of New York.(Also one in New Jersey)
This school offers great Jiu Jitsu and has various locations depending where you are in NYC.
See below for more information.
Classes Offered At Vitor Shaolin’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
*Classes Vary Depending on each school
- BJJ Beginners
- Kids Classes
- Advanced Class
- No Gi
- Purple Belt and Up
- Blue Belt Only
- MMA
Instructors At Vitor Shaolin’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Vitor Shaoin(Head Instructor/Owner)
- Jen Sung
- Krystle Wilson
- Freddy Martinez
Special Offers: 2 free trial classes
Address(es): Below are the two main locations in NYC. Affiliates are listed on the website.
Address Midtown: 7808th Ave(@ 47 St) New York, NY 10036
Phone: 212.957.4045
Address Upper East Side: 220 E 86th Street, Fl 2 New York, NY 10028
Phone: 646.649.3269
Clockwork Jiu Jitsu
Clockwork Jiu Jitsu is located right in downtown New York. Sometimes overshadowed by big name schools, but this gym offers some of the best Jiu Jitsu in New York City.
On their site, they say that their school is an ego free space that is welcome to all skill levels. This school is led by 3rd degree black belt Josh Griffiths that is located in lower Manhattan.
There is not a bad review to be found about this school. If you’re in the Manhattan area and need a place to train, definitely check them out.
Classes Offered At Clockwork Jiu Jitsu
*BJJ classes only at this school.
- Kids Classes
- White Belt Class
- Blue Belt Class
- Mixed Class
- Competition Class
Instructors At Clockwork Jiu Jitsu
- Josh Griffiths(Head Instructor/Owner)
- Sebastian Guerriero
- Kyle Jackson
Special Offers: One free trial class.
Address: 650 Broadway, 2nd Floor New York City, NY 10012
Phone: 212.675.0300
A Force Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy
A Force Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy rounds out our list of the best gyms to train Jiu Jitsu in New York City.
This school is owned by 4th degree black belt Andre Monteiro, who has over 20 years of experience. Monteiro is a very successful athlete and instructor with championships that include Brazilian national champ and multi time NY state champ.
The style Monteiro teaches is more of the traditional Gracie Jiu Jitsu style focusing on self defense and a healthy lifestyle. Reviews for this academy are very positive with having a positive atmosphere and great instruction.
Classes Offered At A Force Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Kids Classes
- Adult Beginners
- Adult Intermediate
- Advanced Adult
- Competition Classes
- Adult Muay Thai
Instructor At A Force Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Andre “Time Monteiro”(Head Instructor/Owner)
Special Offers: One Free Trial Class
Address(es): 3 Locations in the great NYC area
Great Neck Location: 340 Great Neck Road, Great Neck, NY 11021
Manhasset Location: 8 Hillcrest Avenue, Manhasset, NY 11030
Port Washington Location: 937 Port Washington Blvd. Port Washington, NY 11050
Number: 516.344.7812 Same for all 3
Extra Tri State Area Academies
This article is supposed to be about the best gym to train Jiu Jitsu in New York City.
These extra two schools are actually in New Jersey. However there are two reasons why they have been added.
First reason is because the good thing about the tri state area is they are an hour or less away.
The second reason is because they are affiliates of two of the NYC BJJ schools listed with some notable names in BJJ.
Ocean County Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Just a short drive from New York is Tom Deblass’ academy Ocean County BJJ. Tom is a black belt student of Renzo is highly respected in the BJJ community.
His academy is where Garry Tonon and Gordon Ryan got their start in BJJ. Deblass frequently cross trains at Renzo’s and his school is an affiliation of the academy.
Bones BJJ Academy(Unity Jiu Jitsu New Jersey)
When Bones isn’t teaching at Unity Jiu Jitsu NY, he is running his new school in New Jersey. Like Matt Serra, Johnson wanted to open a BJJ school in his hometown.
Bones just recently opened his school, but it is getting some great reviews. If you train with him in NYC, you may get invited to train at his school in New Jeresey.
Thanks for reading
Hope you find the right Jiu Jitsu gym in New York and have fun training.
If you’re interest in top gyms in other locations check out our Travel Section.
